#Proto2019 ball testing at Rinkven, PGA European Tour

Hello TT !
Hope you are all doing great. X-mas is coming soon and the temperatures are dropping rapidly. I noticed some of us here were the lucky once as well to receive the #2019Proto Titleist Pro V1’s. (White box)

First I would like to announce a big thank you to Titleist who is offering this amazing test opportunity. I think Titleist is the only brand in the golf industry who supplies prototypes and happy to share that with their end users. So Titleist thank you for that!
I feel proud & honoured to be of the test team.

Oke so let’s talk about results.
In the early morning I drove from Amsterdam, the Netherlands to Rinkven golfclub (Belgium, the course is also hosting the Belgium Knock Out, PGA European Tour ) to test the new Titleist Pro V1’s. My regular ball is the Titleist Pro V1x, in order to give you a honest feedback I went to the pro shop and bought myself a sleeve of Pro V1 , & Pro V1x

So during a cup of coffee in the clubhouse I noticed some significant changes.
The Titleist Proto 2019 ball seems smaller compared with the previous models, also the dimple structure looks different and I noticed the logo is smaller than the previous models.

My question to you fellow TT members: Have you noticed this too ?

Now let’s put it to the test, during the round I played golf with 1 ball (bruto strokeplay) which was the Proto 2019. During the round I hit some shots from the exact same spot with the previous models. Here are my findings:

From the tee:
The Proto2019 comes high of the face. I mean with that higher ball flight and increased spin rate. I was surprised about the total distance, but in my opinion the ball flight is too high compared with the old Titleist Pro V1x. I think this is caused by the dimpels and the size of the golfball.
Pro V1x: To me this is still the best ball, I get a more penetrating ball flight compared with the other models.
Pro V1: The Pro V1 comes a lot lower from the face, more penetrating, less carry but same distance.
Winner: Pro V1x

From the fairway (fairway woods)
I’ve tested all models from the fairway and I still think that the Proto2019 comes high off the face. I think it’s great to have a higher ball flight in order to reach a well protected green but in wind conditions I think the ball flight is too high.

From the fairway (long irons)
When hitting the Proto 2019 with my long irons (Titleist AP2, 718) irons 3,4 & 5 given a soft sound of face. It’s like a soft woosh. To be I have more feel with the Titleist Pro V1x. It feels like a bit harder (core) then the proto 2019 and also the sound and flight is more nicer then the Proto 2019.

From the fairway (short irons)
My mid irons were great with the balls. The Proto 2019 came very close to the Titleist Pro V1x. The hanging time of the proto 2019 is a bit longer then the Pro V1x which increased carry distance by 3-5 meters. But now comes the big minus, it spins way too much. More about this in the wedge testing part.

Wedges:
When hitting full wedge shots with the Proto 2019 I felt like more feel with the Proto 2019 compared with the Pro V1x. How strange is that ah?
When hitting my wedges shots with all of my 4 vokey wedges I noticed higher ball flight but massive spin. It’s crazy much how much spin this ball is producing. For example hitting the shots from the exact same spot with the exact same iron the Proto 2019 spins at least 2-3 meters more. Please see photo below:
This was a 98 meter wedge shot with 50 degree Titleist SM7 Vokey wedge. As you can see the left ball is the Titleist Pro V1x which spin about 2-3 meter. But the right ball is the Proto 2019. As you can see I marked the divots with a tee (5 meter backspin). In my opinion this is way too much. This means when hitting your numbers, means you lose distance control.
Also big minus about the Proto 2019 is the white layer arround the ball. I hit 1 full wedge shot and the ball is completely damaged. Maybe this is because of the Prototype layer? But the older Pro V1x could have more wedge shots before the outer layer core was damaged (stratched)

Greenside bunkers:
From pot bunkers to green side bunkers I like hitting the Proto 2019. Because of the higher launch compared with the Pro V1x. Meaning I can attack the flag more because of the high spin (drop, stop, spin back). So in this part the Proto 2019 wins!

On the putting green:
On the putting green I like the Proto 2019 also. Because of the softer feel I have compared with the Pro V1x & Pro V1.

So end conclusion:
The Proto 2019 is a great golf ball, in my opinion I don’t like to size of the golf ball (it seems a lot smaller), also I would have loved to see the logo bigger.
If this model comes out in stores I also hope to see better alignment marker on the side of the balls. Please read my review carefully, I like the product but I am not that super excited, actually I would prever buying the old Titleist Pro V1x rather then the new Proto2019.